All Said and Done
by Double-Elle
Summary: A collection of stories focusing on the next generation of Fairy Tail / Chapter 7: Family Portrait - That bulletin board was always a good thing to look at every time you came home.
1. Thalpo

**A/N:** I originally published this story in Tumblr for Father's Day. It was inspired by a drawing made by a friend of mine.

* * *

><p>In the cool summer night, the town of Magnolia had started to settle in to sleep, preparing itself for the day coming ahead. Many of the stores and restaurants had closed their doors, and anyone that was still on the streets quickly rushed back to their homes. It seemed that all was peaceful and quiet throughout the entire town.<p>

Well, with the possible exception of one small house near the outskirts of town.

"Shhh, shhhh, it's okay now, I'm here," a young woman, with her long blonde hair unkempt and her eyes tired from exhaustion, consoled her baby as she rocked her back and forth. Her words fell on deaf eyes, however, as the newborn only started wailing even louder.

The mother continued to cradle her daughter as she walked to the rocking chair. As she sat down, she held the crying baby closer to her breast. She knew that she didn't need to be fed, nor did she need a diaper change, as she had already checked on her earlier. Her worry, combined with the lack of sleep she had the past few nights, has started to bring her to the edge of tears herself now. "Oh, sweetheart, I wish I knew some way to calm you down."

Just then, her husband, with the same tired look on his face, suddenly entered in from the door. "You okay in there, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed. "I just can't seem to calm her down, Natsu."

"How about I take over for you over there? You look like you're about to cry."

"Thank you…" she said with relief as she rose up to give the crying baby to her husband.

Natsu carefully held the baby in his arms, gently rocking her. "Oy, oy, please stop crying," he said to her as he cradled her closer to his chest. "Your mama and papa need to sleep too, you know." And as he continued rocking her, the baby's loud cries became softer and softer, until they were just quiet whimpers. "Yeah, that's more like it."

Lucy could only smile at the sight before her. "Hey, how about we let her sleep with us tonight," she said.

"Huh? What made you think of that?"

"Well," she said sheepishly, "we wouldn't have to keep walking back and forth if she starts crying again."

"Good point," he then looked at his now sleeping daughter. "Well, she's asleep now. Let's go."

The two parents quietly went back to their bedroom. As they got to their bed, Natsu carefully laid the baby on her back on the center before he and Lucy settled in. They both faced each other as they were lying down, forming a protective wall around their daughter. They continued to watch over her; how her wispy, pink hair covered the top of her head, the way her little body would rise with each breath she took, and how her arms and legs would occasionally move as she slumbered.

"You're not gonna sleep?"

"No…she might wake up again any minute." Lucy paused for a minute. "What about you?"

Natsu put his arm around the baby as she started to stir.

"Nah."


	2. Surprise

A/N: So, I've decided to use my Thalpo entry here as a collection of all the nextgen stories I made so far. A couple of the ones I'll put up here are pretty old, but I'll update them with new stories. This story, in particular, will have an interconnected story shown in the fifth chapter my other entry, The Glow of the Embers.

* * *

><p>The little girl's eyes lit up at her mother's words.<p>

"Really?!"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"Are you sure?" she asked her mom, with giddy excitement evident in her voice. "Like, are you really, really, really sure?"

"I went to the doctor just to make sure," her mother smiled as she rested her hand to her stomach. "You are gonna be a big sister soon, Luna."

It was at that point Luna starting jumping around in her seat, trying so hard to stop her giggles from escaping from her mouth. She couldn t believe it, she was going to be a sister! She couldn't possibly wait 'til tomorrow so she could go to school and tell her friends all about it and...

"Wait!" she suddenly stopped. "Does Papa know about the baby yet?"

Her mother, amused by her daughter's reaction, gave out a small laugh. "I just found out about it today, so he doesn't know yet. But I am going to tell him when he comes back home."

"Ooooh, ooooh! Can I tell him, Mama? Please?"

"Now, Luna, I think it might be better if he heard from me first..."

"Please, Mama? Can I please tell him?" Luna started to plead. "I just gotta tell him about the baby!"

Her Mama gave some thought to her offer. "Hmmm...how about this? We'll both tell Papa as soon he gets back home. Would that be okay with you?"  
>_<p>

It was already really dark outside, Luna noticed as she waited on the sofa with her Mama. Papa hadn't come back home like he usually did, so it was just the two of them eating dinner and finishing homework. She started to slouch on her seat, covering her face with her hands. She really wanted to go to bed now, and her eyes felt like they were getting heavier by the second.

But still, she made it this far! She wasn't going to let sleepiness get in her way of telling Papa about the news. In fact, she'd even try to stay up until morning if that meant she'd get to-

"I'm back!"

As soon as she heard his familiar voice, Luna bolted out from her seat and started running to her father, pulling him in a big hug as soon as she got to him. Finally, her Papa was back home! Now she can finally tell him all about...about...

What was it that she was supposed to tell him again?

Luna's father scooped her up from the floor and rested her head on his shoulder as he started to walk in the house. The warmth that she was so used to from him only made her feel like sleeping right now, but first she had to remember what she was gonna tell him.

"Papa..." she said softly from his shoulder as she tried to keep her eyes open, "there's something that I gotta tell you..."

"What is it?" Her father asked her back? "Did you have fun at school today?"

"Yes, Papa." 'No,' she thought, 'it wasn't something about school...'

"Did you learn anything new there?"

"Yes, Papa." She was racking her mind at this point. What was it, what was it that she was supposed to tell him?

"Did that boy call you mean names again?"

Well, it was definitely not about that guy, that's for sure.

"No, Papa."

"Good."

Papa? she asked sleepily. Can you come back home earlier tomorrow? We didn t get to play today. Maybe that was it?

Her father started to lay her down on her bed ('When did we get here?' she wondered right then) and started to tuck her in. Yeah, he smiled. I ll finish up my job really quick, and I ll even pick you up from school after that.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Suddenly, a thought rushed in her mind right there. That wasn't what she was supposed to tell him. If only she could just remember whatever it was and then she could-

"Goodnight, Luna," her father said as he kissed her forehead.

...well, whatever it was, she guessed it could wait until she woke up in the morning.

"G'night, Papa."


	3. Sneaking Out

A/N: This is another old drabble I've had in my archive, this time dealing with one of the Gajevy kids. I would like to write more about him and his sister in the near future, hopefully.

* * *

><p>"Pssstt! Lily! Hey, Lily! Wake up!" the young boy whispered to the black cat in front of him, curled up on his bed. His call went unheard, as the cat continued to sleep. "He s not waking up", he thought. Time to do this the hard way.<p>

He then grabbed the poor cat s ears, and started pulling on them hard. Lily, wake up! he whispered more harshly this time.

His harsh method worked, as Panther Lily started screaming in pain. Galen! What the hell are y-

Galen covered his mouth before he could finish, shushing him in response. We had a deal earlier, remember? You said you were gonna help me practice with sword fighting.

"I didn t remember agreeing to anything earlier! Especially at this time at night!"

Galen looked back at Lily, his eyes narrowing a bit. I knew you were gonna back out somehow. He then grabbed a paper bag behind him and threw it to the cat. Here, I got you a bunch of kiwis.

Lily took a peek inside the bag, and then sighed. Fine. We ll start now.

"Let s just get out of here quietly, okay?" Galen told him. "You wouldn t want to wake them up, you know.


	4. Numinous

**A/N: This has been my longest entry yet, at 5K+ words. This story deals with the oldest NaLu daughter Luna, and how she met the boy that she'll soon end up together with.**

* * *

><p>A refreshing breeze came around a coastal city in southeast Ministrel one warm spring day. Many people, of all ages and from all over, have come to the bustling city for its famous cherry blossom viewing festival. In the busy streets, a young woman, with long hair as pink as the city's beloved flower, made her way to the large garden park. She walked around the area, searching for the best view she can get for the festival. She finally found the highest lookout point in the park and climbed up the steps. And as she reached the top, she was completely in awe by the scenery set before her. The spot she was in was high enough that you could not only view the entire town in its lively glory. It reaches as far as the coastline, with the horizon beyond it serving as its end point. And, of course, the pink petals flowing around in the breeze helped set the mood for that festive time.<p>

"Beautiful," she murmured to herself, enchanted by what she saw, "I know exactly what to write now!" Turning on the camera around her neck, she aimed it carefully at the view, recording everything that would be in her next article.

Elsewhere in the park was a young man, who looked about as lost as someone stuck in a hedge maze. He kept turning his head at every direction he took, nearly bumping into some passersby once in a while. The way he moved about just showed how exhausted he was, as he had come the whole way from the previous town he was in by foot. The weight from his heavy sling backpack wasn't doing him any favors either. He felt as if he was gonna pass out any minute, when a sudden breeze came and swept his hat away from his messy dark brown hair. He chased after it, trying to grab it back.

"Aha, gotcha!" He said as he managed to grab his hat back to his head. "I'm not letting you out of my sight this ti-" he stopped in his tracks as his eyes wandered to the girl right before him.

He noticed the confident aura she exuded around her, as she kept aiming her camera at different angles every once in a while. The bangs on her face started blowing in the wind, but she still kept on talking behind the camera, like she didn't have a care in the world. "In normal circumstances, cherry blossoms would only grow in cold climates like in the mountains. The trees here, however, have not only managed to thrive wonderfully in a warmer climate, they also bring a sense of ephemeral beauty seen nowhere else in Ministrel during springtime…"

He's never seen a girl as beautiful as her.

Utterly mesmerized, the man started to walk towards her, hoping that he would make a good impression once he introduces himself to this girl. He was so deep in his thoughts, that he completely missed the group of cyclists that was coming in from a few meters behind him without stop.

"Head's up, man!"

* * *

><p>Pain was coursing all throughout his body when he started coming to. He groaned as he sat up from the ground, his hand rubbing the back of his head, when all of a sudden, another hand appeared right in front of him.<p>

"Oh no! You okay there? Are you hurt?"

'_Holy crap, it's the girl from earlier!'_ he thought. "Uh…no, I'm fine. I've had worse before."

"You need any help getting up?"

"Uh…Y-yeah! Yeah, I guess…" he told her as he tried to stand up from the ground, grabbing onto her hand for support.

"Let me get you right over there," she said as she walked him under the shade of a huge cherry blossom tree. "We wouldn't want you to get in another scrape now, would we?"

The boy stayed quiet as he followed suit, trying to keep his face from turning redder than it already was, as they finally sat down on the grass.

"I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. I'm Luna, Luna Dragneel" the girl smiled at him.

"I…I'm Vin Mizmor, thank you."

"No problem!" Luna answered him. "You were in pretty bad shape when I saw you, so I couldn't help but come help you over here."

"Yeah, I guess that was pretty dumb of me back there," Vin laughed.

"So, what brings you here on this lovely day we're having?"

"I just got here from the last town I visited, but apparently there's something going on here now? At least, that's what I think is going on."

"You mean the cherry blossom festival? It's not starting for another hour, but some people seem to be saving spots here now," Luna explained as she looked around the park. "I'm supposed to be covering the whole thing for my current assignment. You know, for magazines and all that."

"So I take it that you're some journalist?"

"Yup! I'm a travel journalist from Fiore, and I gotta tell ya, it is awesome! Well okay, the writing part can get seriously frustrating sometimes, but It's really been great so far!" she said as she was waving the hand that showed the orange guild mark on her palm. "I've always wanted to explore the world when I was little.

"That sounds amazing," Vin smiled at her. "I'm just some guy from Midi who's just wandering around this place for a while, nothing special about that."

"I wouldn't count that as 'nothing special,' I mean, you've managed to travel this far in time for an exciting event! I think that's really awesome."

"You're a pretty positive person, aren't ya?"

"If you say so," she replied with a chuckle.

As soon as he spotted the unusual spot of orange on her right palm as she waved her hand, Vin's curiosity was piqued. Unsure at first of whether or not it was the polite thing to do, he finally asked:

"I was wondering, what's that orange thing in your hand there?"

"What?" she asked as she clutched her right hand, her tone sounding colder than usual. "Why? You're not looking for a fight with me, are you?!" her eyes furrowing at him in suspicion.

"Huh? No!" he answered her, very confused by her sudden outburst. "I don't know why that would make me want to fight you…?"

Luna's eyes softened as she exhaled a small sigh of relief. "No, I'm sorry. I've just had some…really bad experiences in a few towns because of this. I just need to ask something first, how much do you know about Fairy Tail?"

"Uh, not that much?"

"Okay. Back home, I was in a wizard guild called Fairy Tail," she said as she showed him the orange mark on her right palm, "and we're known as the strongest guild in Fiore. And it seems that a lot of people outside have heard of us as well. In every assignment I had in this country, I always came across some goons spying on me while I'm on the job, and well…they then gang up on me."

"Why would they gang up on you?"

"Ugh, I'm don't know! The police said there's some underground challenge going on between those gangs, and it involves beating one of us in a fight. Assholes," she scoffed with disdain, slightly leaning back on the trunk of the tree with her arms crossed. "I cannot believe those idiots! I know an ego trip when I see one!"

"That really sucks. Were you able to fight back?"

"I did, but I also had to run to the police station after that. Sure, I can totally take them all down in one shot, but what about my job right now? I can think of a lot of ways it could all go wrong from that," Luna shuddered.

Vin looked at her with sympathy. "If you don't mind me asking, but have you tried hiding your guild mark? Like, wearing some gloves while out in public?"

"I did, at first. I even tried hiding the mark with magic, but," she sighed, "it just feels wrong if I don't see it in my hand, it's like I'm naked or something. Besides, they seem to remember what I look like now, so there's no point in hiding at this point anymore."

Silence came between the two of them as they sat under the tree. Luna began to see people setting up food stalls from the distance, fiddling with the patch of grass near her, when Vin suddenly asked:

"So, cherry blossom festival, right?"

"Oh right, the festival! Is this your first time hearing of this?"

"I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't."

"Okay, so the thing that sets this one apart from the other cherry blossom festivals in the world is that the climate here is a lot warmer than what the trees need to thrive here."

"Okay, that's really impressive."

"And seeing how this is the only place in this country with cherry blossoms thriving in it, it's been said that they've done so thanks to some magical quality in them, which is why some tourists come here from far away. Like for instance, they think that the trees would bring them good luck in their love lives, so they come here with their lover, hoping that they'd be together forever."

"I can see why they'd think like that."

"Yeah, the trees here are amazing, I'll give them that. But to be honest? The ones in my place are the best, hands down!"

"Really, why?"

"Oh, it's something you gotta have to see for yourself! Whenever they start to bloom every year, the petals start to-"

The loud ringing of bells started echoing through the park, interrupting Luna mid-sentence. A huge throng of people started coming in from the entrance gates, gathering underneath the trees and lanterns on that starry night.

"Ah crap, the festival's starting now?! I'm sorry, I have to leave right now for my article!"

"W-wait! Do you wanna meet up again sometime?"

"Sure! I'll be here the rest of the week!" she shouted to him as she started running towards the main garden. "See you later!"

"See you soon!" Vin waved as she ran off towards the busy crowd. He leaned onto the tree behind him, watching the pink petals fall slowly to the ground.

"Huh, not bad."

* * *

><p>A week almost passed since that festival, and Vin was, once again, sitting under the same spot underneath the same tree back then. Frankly, he had no idea why he still kept coming back here. Maybe he just liked that old spot, the shade there sure was perfect for a short afternoon nap. The park wasn't all that bad either, with all the free space and gardens in it. He wouldn't be enjoying this place if it hadn't been for…oh, who was he kidding?<p>

He missed that girl. It felt almost pathetic, really, but he just wanted to chat with her again. But looking back from when they last saw each other, he realized he never asked when or where they would meet up again.

'_Idiot.'_

At this point, Vin was starting to question himself about what he was doing. The week was almost over at this point. Did he really think coming back there day after day would bring her back somehow? He might as well just give up at this point, and leave for wherever the road was gonna lead him next. To make things more frustrating, he can't even remember that girl's name now, thanks to his brain's crap excuse for memory. And it was such an easy name to remember, too! He was sure it started with an L...was it Lisa, Leia, Lana…?

"Hey, come back here, you bastards!"

That familiar feminine voice he heard suddenly jolted him out of his train of thought. Looking up towards the voice, he saw her once again, only this time she was angrily chasing a couple of thugs running off with a thick book.

'_Luna!'_

He couldn't believe it. "Luna!" he shouted as he started running towards her, making their way outside the park gates. "Luna, what happened?! Who were those guys?"

Luna glanced towards his side as they continued to run. "It's you!" she said with surprise in her voice. "Those jerks there broke into my hotel room and took something, I have to get it back!"

"They what?!" he said in shock, only stopping when they realized they had reached into the heart of the city. The tall buildings surrounded them menacingly, and crowds of busy people kept blocking their way. Finding those robbers seemed almost impossible.

"Oh no, oh no..." Luna started to wail as she covered her mouth with her hand. "They took my mother's book! We can't track them down in this crowd, what do I do?"

Wait, we might be able to find those guys, but I need you to calm down first and-"

"Calm down? _Calm down?!_ How can I _possibly_ calm down at something like _this_?!"

Vin put his hands down on his shoulders. "I was gonna ask if you remembered what they looked like, but you're gonna need to calm down first so you can think straight, okay?"

As he finished talking to her, Luna's tensed shoulders slowly started to relax. "Okay, I'll try."

"Okay, when you're ready," Vin said as he let go of her shoulders, "tell me what you saw from those guys."

Luna took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes in recollection. "I remember one of them had some black long-sleeve shirt on him, and some khaki pants. The other guy, I think he was wearing a baseball cap around him. And…and I think both of them had something around their neck, they kinda looked like denim bandanas and…"

Upon realizing now why the two men broke into her room, Luna snapped her eyes open and began to seethe. "_Again._ Dammit, not _again_!"

"This doesn't have to do with those gangs you mentioned before, does it?"

"_It does," _she said as she smacked her forehead with her hand, "they must have found out about me! How could this have happen?!"

"This is bad, should we go to the police?"

"I think I know someone who could help us better. Follow me."

And so, with her new companion trailing behind her, Luna led him along winding roads and busy streets. They made their stop as soon she spotted an old man in tattered, faded clothes, juggling balls on the sidewalk.

"Hey now, don't be shy! Come and watch, just a few Notes would do, thank you! You there, why don't cha toss me another ball over here!" the man said as the bystanders around him continued watching him in awe. The pair started to weave their way through the crowd, and Luna then waved at him.

The old man took notice of the pink-haired woman right away. "Alrighty, folks! Time for me to take five right now! Now don't worry, I'll be back before ya know it!" he said to the disappointed crowd. Putting the balls he was using back into his fanny pack, the old man made a bee line to Luna.

"Hi there! Do you remember me?" she smiled at him.

"Heya! Yeah, I know you! You're that journalist from Fiore, ya? I see you came with a new friend," the man said in a friendly manner. "So, were the cherry blossoms good enough for ya?"

"Yes, they were beautiful like you said, but that's not why I'm here right now," she said in a sudden serious tone. "You told me the last time you knew every little thing going on in this city, right?"

"That, I did, my dear."

"So I can assume you know of the gangs around this place, right? Say like, anyone with denim kerchiefs hanging on their necks or something?"

The old man blanched at what she had just said. "Oh, boy. The Bluegrass Gang, those are some dangerous fellas you're talking about, dearie."

"They stole something important from me, do you know where their hideout would be?"

"Their turf is in some old abandoned warehouse near the pier. Now, I'd be careful there if I were you, dearie, some of them guys know how to use magic. "

"Don't worry about me, I've taken a lot worse before. Here, some Notes for taking your time," she thanked the old man as she gave him some money in her pocket.

"No worries, dearie. I can see that you're one tough cookie!" he tipped off his hat to her.

Realizing how he hadn't said anything to the old man, Vin started scrambling in his pockets for loose change. "Sorry! That was rude of me to not say anything! Here, I really thought your juggling was amazing, mister," Vin said, nervously giving all his spare change to the man.

"You didn't have to, but I appreciate your kindness, my boy! Just promise me you'd keep your friend there safe, 'kay?"

* * *

><p>The sun was setting down the orange sky once the two finally arrived in the pier. Being careful not to get spotted too early by anyone, they quietly crept towards the crates nearest to the warehouse. A soon as the coast was clear, they quickly went to the entrance.<p>

"Okay, all I have to do now is get in there and deal with those guys," Luna said, spying the inside from the window, "and then I get my book back."

"Hold up. I can't just leave you in there by yourself, you'd be outnumbered!"

"Vin, I appreciate your concern, I really do," she said to him as gently as she could, "but I just don't want you getting hurt because of me. Besides, you heard what that old man said, right? Some of them might be wizards, which would be more risky for you."

"But-"

"Please, I'm begging you. Just stay safe here."

Vin was ready to open his mouth once again to try to change her mind, but after seeing the serious gaze from her eyes, he just sighed in defeat. "Fine. But don't think I won't go in if something goes wrong there."

Luna gave him a silent nod in return, then went off to open the rusty door of the decrepit building. And as she got inside, she could spot from the far end of the giant room a group of young men, around ten of them from what she counted, bumming around and laughing on wooden crates and makeshift furniture.

She moved closer towards them; it was now or never for her. "Ahem!" she cleared her throat, drawing their attention to her at her place. "I believe you have something that belongs to me. I want it back, _right_ _now_!"

"Well, well, well, looks like our guest has finally arrived, boys!" a bulky young man hollered from his ratty grand chair. "Not really one for formalities, I see?"

"Cut the crap, you bastard! Why the hell did you lead me here?"

"I think you know very well why we've led you here, Fairy Tail wizard." The man smirked at her in a mocking voice. "We just want you to have a little spar with us, that's all. And maybe a little something extra, should we ever win."

Using every fiber in her body not to make a sarcastic remark, Luna glared at the man before her. "And how exactly did you find out I was here?"

"Word travels fast, sweetheart. All it takes nowadays is just a few buttons from this new communication lacrima we smuggled in from Fiore, and some buddies from other towns. Did I mention that some of them just came here today because they missed you so much?"

It was at that point that Luna finally reached her breaking point.

"Alright, _that's it!_ You people want a fight? Fine! I'll give you one!"

The man sneered at her. "Get her, boys."

As the crowd of hooligans started to charge towards her, Luna's hand quickly reached for a golden key hidden inside her jeans pocket. Aiming carefully at the closest target coming at her, she began to aim the key towards the crowd, when all of a sudden, one of the thugs was suddenly struck on the head by a pipe.

Luna froze, in shock at the person who struck the sudden blow. "Vin?!"

"I did say I'd come in if something happened, right?" Vin told her just as he struck another thug attempting a sneak attack on him. "Well, what are you waiting for, then? _Fight_!"

Getting back into battle mode, Luna once again brought her gold key up in the air. "Open, Gate of the Lion, Loke!" From that spell, an orange-haired man wearing sunglasses and a stylish suit appeared in front of her.

"Are boys giving you trouble again, Luna?" Loke asked, straightening out his tie. "Looks like I'm gonna have to give out another lesson, then!"

Pointing the key towards her, Luna cried out "And…Star Dress: Leo Form!" In that instant, her orange vest and khaki pants changed into a frilled, black-and-white gown with matching black heels. Her wavy, long pink hair was now kept up in a messy bun, and a new, peculiar symbol has shown above her right breast.

"You really think you'd beat all of us with some pretty dress, little girl?" a heavy-set young man came charging towards her, only to be stopped when Luna gave a sharp, bright kick to his stomach.

"You'd be surprised," Luna smirked as the man keeled over in pain. "And that was only one kick."

As Luna took on more of the gang members, Vin was still fending off the ones coming at him with the pipe he found lying on the ground. He kept on dodging their punches, and he kept on swinging the pipe at them like a baseball bat. Unfortunately, one of the guys managed to get a hit from him in the face, and he was left lying down on the floor. He was about to get pummeled even more, when all of a sudden...

"Regulus Blast!"

The force from the light attack blew the men back from their place, landing them into a pile of broken crates behind them. As Vin was struggling to stand up again, Loke offered him his hand. With his help, Vin was able to stand up again, only for Loke to give him a sucker punch to the face.

"Ow! What the hell? I'm _with_ Luna, I was helping her out here!" Vin cried out while rubbing his head in pain.

"You were? Ah, sorry about that," Loke apologized, "I thought you were with those guys over there. But I am gonna have to talk to you after this, you hear me?" he said in a rather threatening manner before joining up with Luna.

"Uhh… okay?"

Going back to Luna, with the rest of the men down for the count, it was just her and their leader now. Once he realized he didn't have backup anymore, his hands started trembling as he desperately tried to fish out a knife from his pocket.

"Y-you don't scare me, little girl! I got this knife on me now and it's also got some magic in-"

Without a word, Luna suddenly swiped the knife from him and threw it out the window.

The leader started to cower away from her, beads of sweat starting to fall from his face in terror. "No, stop! Don't come near me, I'm begging you!"

"You know, there's this one spell I've learned when I was a kid, it was called Phos Hilaron," she said with an eerie calm in her voice, inching closer to the man. "The books I've read before said it that was one of the most powerful spells ever made for Light Magic. They also said that whenever someone would use it, it creates a light so bright it would potentially blind its target and anyone else nearby right away. She paused for a moment. "I wonder what would have happened if I had used that spell on your buddies a while back there?"

"No, please! Just leave us alone!"

"My book, give it to me right now."

The leader, now completely terrified, rushed off to grab the red hardbound book inside a crate and quickly gave it back to its rightful owner.

"Thank you. And tell your buddies out there to never come near me again, _ever_. Got it?"

* * *

><p>"Did you the look on that guy's face after he gave you your book back?" Vin started laughing as he was walking out of the pier. "He looked like he was ready to wet himself out there!"<p>

"Yeah, it was pretty funny now that I think about it," Luna chuckled softly, her book now safe in one arm, before her eyes suddenly started to wince. "Ugh, crap…" she groaned as she started to massage her forehead.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah" she told him, "just a small migraine, is all. I didn't think I would actually go all out like that today, I should really bring my shades my shades with me more often…"

"Do you… do you want me to take you back to your hotel?"

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," she smiled at him.

"You know, I'm still a bit suspicious about you," Loke suddenly appeared right between them. "What makes you think I can let you bring my niece back to her hotel at this time of night?"

"You can trust him, Uncle Loke," Luna said with an exasperated sigh, "he did fight all those guys with us, after all."

"Alright, I can give him some credit for that," Loke replied before he quickly loomed nearer to Vin's side. _"Try anything funny to her, and you will answer to me, got it?" _he whispered harshly into his ear. Vin started gulping and nodded furiously in response.

"Good! Now that everything's all settled, I'll be taking my leave then!" Loke announced in a rather chipper voice. "I'll tell your parents and Mimi you said hi, okay?"

"Sure! I'll see you next time, Uncle Loke!" Luna waved happily at him. And with that, he disappeared into a bright flash of light.

With Vin slowly recovering from Loke's low-key threat just earlier, Luna suddenly blurted out, "you were incredible out there! How did you learn to fight like that?"

"When I was a kid, I had to fend off a lot of wild animals coming towards my home. Huge, dangerous, wild animals. I had to learn a lot of things just to get them off the property."

"Well, they all certainly paid off!" Luna smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciated you jumping in to help me."

"Hey, it was just the right thing to do, okay? You don't deserve to get mugged just because of some guild mark or whatever."

"You're quite the gentleman, aren't you?" she teased Vin playfully.

"If you say so," Vin laughed.

They continued walking on the dim street towards the hotel that chilly night, with only the faint light from the streetlights and the moon to guide them. They had stopped talking for a while, listening only to the sound of their shoes hitting the gravel and the faint conversations of people passing by, when suddenly:

"Hey, I never got to tell you why cherry blossoms in my home were so amazing, did I?"

"No, I don't think so?"

An excited smile started to form on Luna's face. "The petals that bloom? They're not just the usual pink, they're all the colors you can think of! Red, yellow, blue, green…everything! Just like a rainbow!"

"You're kidding!"

"Oh no, I'm serious! I have some pictures in my camera for proof! I can tell you everything I know about the festival we have for it and…" her happy expression suddenly sobered down. "Oh yeah…"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, before that whole thing we went through happened, I wanted to go out and look for you. I was so busy finishing that article during the week that I didn't have the time to get out of my room. You asked that you wanted to meet up with me again, and I was really up for it but-"

"You have to leave soon, don't you?"

Luna nodded sadly. "My next assignment is at another music festival in the east. I have to be at the train station by noon tomorrow. I'm sorry."

Vin sighed. "Well, we still spent the whole day together, if that counts for something," he smiled at her. "I wouldn't trade a crazy day like this for anything else."

Luna didn't say anything as they went on, only to stop as she spotted a small, quaint hotel in front of her. "Well, that's where I'm staying tonight," she said softly. Upon walking towards the lobby area, she turned to Vin. "It was nice meeting you. Thanks again for helping me get my book back."

"No worries, it was great meeting you. I hope we'll see each other next time," he told her. And with that, he slowly went back towards the street, not looking back at the building behind him.

* * *

><p>The morning after that night didn't exactly start off right for Vin. He woke up feeling grumpier than his usual self, and finding out that his traveling money had all but nearly depleted just only made it worse. He was glad the hostel he was in provided a free breakfast for him, because he only had enough left for a train ticket to wherever he wanted to go next. And so, as soon as he finished eating, he quickly packed up his things and booked himself out. It was an hour before noon, he noted as he looked at the clock above the door. Maybe, he thought, if he would rush out of there and into the hotel where Luna was in, he could probably send her off to her ride. Just keep her safe until then, even just a little while. But who was he kidding, she'd have probably been at the station by now, knowing how serious she was with her job. She probably wouldn't be dawdling around the street either, like what he was doing right-<p>

"Hey."

The pink-haired woman with the yellow roller bag in front of him made him jump back in complete shock. "Luna?! What are you doing here? Wait, how did you find out where I was staying in?!"

"That's not really important right now," Luna put her hands up. "I've been thinking about this since last night, you said you had no idea where you'd be going next, right? Well, l'm here to make you an offer, that is, if you don't mind hearing it."

"I'm listening."

Luna took in a deep breath. "I want you to be my traveling partner!" she finally told him, her voice as resolute and firm as it can be.

"…huh?"

"You heard me. This isn't about you paying me back for a few days ago, and this isn't me looking for some assistant for my job. I just want you to come with me."

"Wait, you can't be serious!"

"Yes, I am serious about this!"

"What do we do about money? I only have enough for a one-way ticket!"

"We can figure something out after that, no sweat!"

"But-"

"What do you really want to do, Vin?"

Vin could only look at this girl in disbelief. He saw the slight nervousness starting to show on her determined face. Her legs were standing firm in her place, but her hands balled into fists so tightly that they were starting to turn white.

"Well, what do you say to my offer?"

Vin sighed. "Well, it's not like I didn't want to travel around this place with someone else around. It would be nice and all, actually knowing where you're heading before you get there. Besides, you could need an extra hand with you if those gangs bother you again," he smiled at her. "All right, I'm in!"

Upon hearing his answer, Luna started to feel lighter now, as if the tension in her body start to disappear. "Really?!" She then grabbed his hand, Vin being very surprised by the sudden action. He turned his head up to face her, only to become totally speechless by the sparkle in her brown eyes, and the infectious grin on her face.

"Come on!"

And as they start to run off to the train station, Vin could only imagine what adventures he would face with this crazy girl with him. But whatever dangers and uncertainties that they would meet, he was sure of one thing…

'_I'm taking off with you.' _


	5. Mother's Day Morning

**A/N: This was originally a (late) Mother's Day fic for this year.**

* * *

><p>She didn't expect the sound of clanging metal to wake her up that morning.<p>

Lucy started to open her eyes, struggling to keep herself from falling back to her slumber. The sun hadn't come up yet, she noticed, as the faint moonlight from the window gave her the only source of light in the bedroom. She rolled on her side to face Natsu, checking if he, with his incredibly sharp hearing, was also jolted up from the sudden noise. To her surprise, however, her husband was nowhere to be seen on the bed.

Lucy thought it odd. She knew Natsu would sometimes wake up earlier than her, but this was too early even for him. The only thing that would make him get up at this hour was when he was checking over their daughters, but the youngest one was old enough to know to come to their bedroom whenever she had a nightmare, and their oldest, while still very much a daddy's girl, was far too old now to have him watch over her like when she was still a baby.

Rising up from the bed, Lucy grabbed her robe and started putting it on as she walked outside the room. Making her way to the hall, she quickly noticed the faint scent of eggs and smoke coming from the kitchen area. She slowly picked up her pace, and as she got nearer, she could hear some chatter going around behind the slightly open door, such as "Place the plate for the bacon over here" and "I wanna put more bananas here!"

"Natsu?" she called for him , her hand starting to push the door open. "Are you in here right now? You're not usually up during this ti-"

Of all the things she expected behind that room, she never thought she'd be greeted to the sight of her family staring back at her in absolute horror.

She started making note of what was going on in the kitchen, such as the scent of bacon coming from the stove Natsu was currently stationed in, her oldest daughter trying to rearrange the plates and utensils on the tray that was in front of her, and her youngest girl sitting on the floor, holding a wooden spoon and a bowl of what appears to be pancake batter in it. There was also a huge pile of pots and pans behind her, which she guessed was what woke her up earlier. Putting all these facts together, Lucy had now realized the one possible reason why they were up at this time…

It was Mother's Day today.

Awkward silence filled the air around them in the room, as no one had any idea of what to say to each other that could possibly make their current situation less uncomfortable. It was broken, however, when the youngest daughter started breaking into tears on the floor, upset that she wouldn't be able to surprise Mama anymore with the banana pancakes was making.

Lucy broke out of her stunned silence and started to slowly inch away from the door. "I-I mean, silly me! This isn't the bathroom!" She then closed the door and quickly made her way back to her bedroom.

"I guess that means I have to sleep a bit longer now," she thought as she rested her head on the pillows, waiting for the time when her "surprise" will finally arrive.


	6. Merimna

A/N: I'll be honest with you guys, I've been meaning to properly introduce the younger NaLu daughter and the StingYu son for a long time now, but this story wasn't supposed to be it. I was supposed to finish up a story of how they met up as kids, but then I thought up a new headcanon, and the next thing I knew, I made this story, where they're much, much older now, so you can imagine my shock and frustration about that situation. In the end, I decided to put this up now because it was already finished. I hope you'll enjoy this story!

* * *

><p>The still quiet of the night had unnerved him, just enough to wake him up.<p>

The young man slowly opened his eyes towards the empty space right next to him on the bed. He knew something was up if his wife wasn't there asleep with him. Ever since the couple had their newborn son a while back, sleeping, especially at this late hour, was something of a rarity nowadays. However, with his rather sharp sense of hearing, the fact that he couldn't recall any crying from the hallway until then made him a bit wary (then again, any first-time father would feel the same at this point).

Getting off the bed and out of the bedroom, he walked towards the lit hallway, finally reaching the slightly open door of his son's nursery. As he entered in, he caught a glimpse of his wife on the rocking chair, smiling fondly at her child who was currently sleeping contently on her bosom.

"Hey," the white-haired man smiled at his wife, reluctantly breaking the quiet moment in front of him, "What's wrong? Was Asher crying just now?"

"Triton?" the young woman looked up, surprised to find her husband at the door. "No, no, I just wanted to see him, is all," she said as she shook her head at him.

The man then entered the nursery, stopping right by the rocking chair as he started to stroke the fine blond hair on his son's head. "Did your maternal instinct start kicking in again, Mimi?" he said with a light, slightly humorous tone in his voice. "You normally wouldn't pass up a chance to sleep in if you could."

"Well, if you could call it that…" Mimi chuckled softly.

Triton also joined in her soft laughter, only to stop with a slightly more serious look on his face. "Really though, you can tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, Tri, promise. You can go back to sleep if you want, I'll come join you later."

"Mimi, I know you well enough by now to know whenever something's up with you." He then turned his face to hers.. "I've said this before, and I'll say this again: I'll always be all ears for you."

A small smile started to creep onto the woman's face. "That's just it, Tri. Nothing's wrong right now. I just needed to make sure it stayed that way." She told him in a soft voice, almost as if she didn't want him to hear that last sentence.

Thinking back about the way that his wife had been acting the entire time, Triton finally realized the real reason why she was there. "You had that nightmare again, didn't you?"

She didn't even look up to face him. "…yeah."

With concern in his voice, he then asked her, "do you want to talk about it with me?"

The silence between them at that moment was so thick, it felt as though nothing would be able to cut it, After what felt like an eternity, it broke down when Mimi, with a slight shake in her already vulnerable tone, finally said…

"It was horrible, Tri. This one was different from the others. I remember it was right after Asher was born, but in there…when I got to hold him…he wasn't crying like he did back then, he didn't even move at all. He looked very blue, he was…he was…" she stopped, trying to give herself a moment to compose herself. "As soon as I woke up, I just had to make sure he was okay. And he was sleeping so peacefully in his crib, but I just needed to know if he was still there, so…" she started to sob as she held her sleeping baby closer.

Right there, as if on impulse, Triton then crouched down closer to Mimi, this time holding her in his embrace. "Hey now, don't cry. He's here sleeping with us, right?" he smiled at her softly. "Don't you remember the first time you felt him kick? You were so excited then, you practically stormed into my guild just so I could feel it, too," he told her as she started to giggle. "Do you remember every time you saw the lacrima vision during your appointments? You always had that excited look in your eyes whenever the doctor pointed to the screen, and I loved seeing that. And when he was born? Well, I think we both know we'd never forget that day, now would we?"

"…we were so lucky with him, Triton. If we only found out about him before I took that mission-"

"Please listen to me, Mimi, no one is mad at you for taking that mission because none of us knew about him yet then. And you know what? The fact that you managed to keep your cool the whole time after that is amazing. I don't think anyone else would be calm if they were in your shoes. Heck, you managed to take down an underground dark guild from the inside by yourself, that's pretty badass if you ask me!"

Mimi eyed her husband in a questioning way. "Just so you know, I still had a hard time trying to stay calm in that hellhole before I even went to see a doctor."

"Still pretty badass, if you ask me."

The two of them laughed softly together, their foreheads touching each other. "You don't have to worry about it anymore, Mimi. He's here with us now, that's all that really matters."

"I just know you're gonna be a great dad."

"And you're already a wonderful mom to him now."

Mimi then started to laugh again "We're such saps, aren't we?"

And at that moment, a small cry suddenly erupted from the once sleeping baby between the couple. The little boy started wailing loudly as he was fussing around in his mother's arms.

"Oh no, we woke him up!" Mimi started to fret as she stood up to try to calm him down.

"Seems like he wanted to join in the fun, huh?" Triton said jokingly. "C'mon, lemme give you a hand there."

"Come on, Tri, you said you were heading to your guild in the morning. You really need the sleep." She told him, gently bouncing the baby up and down.

"They know we have a baby, Mimi. I'm pretty sure they'd understand if I come in late," he told her point-blank.

"Suit yourself, then," she said before facing her child. "C'mon, Asher," she said in a sweet voice, "Let's spend some time with Mama and Papa right now."


	7. Family Portrait

Hi there! I've been meaning to post this chapter here for a while, but since I also entered it in a writing event on Tumblr, I had to wait for like a week until I got the okay. Second POV strikes again here, I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

><p>It's been a few years since you've moved into Natsu's place after the two of you were married. In that time, that small, humble house near the forest had gone through a lot of expanding and refurbishing as your family too started to grow as well, but the one thing that hasn't changed was that special bulletin board on the main hall with all the memorabilia your husband has collected from your past missions. But then again, it wouldn't exactly be right to say that hasn't changed: almost every nook and cranny of that board has now been covered by at least one layer of mission request papers and souvenirs from different towns. All those things, however, weren't really the highlights of that board anymore.<p>

Scattered at many parts of that old bulletin board were pictures of your children, taken at many points in their lives. Ever since your older daughter was born, Natsu had fallen into the habit of recording every milestone experienced with photos, and had surprised you by pinning them on that board for all the world to see. Or at least, anyone who came to visit you at home. It wasn't just pictures, though; there were also some doodles on slightly crumpled paper that vaguely look like the two of you, a few report cards here and there, each of them with a smiley face on the corner, and the more recent ones, a few congratulatory cards from the guild that you received right after your youngest girl was born last summer.

Right now, you're adding in the latest token to the board. It took a few weeks of planning with both your busy schedules, but you finally were able to take another official family photo. It was a lot more stressful preparing for it than it was before, what with your husband initially upset about how he wasn't in charge of taking the photo this time, and trying to keep the girls clean and ready with minimal crying and fussing, but it was all so worth it in the end.

You look fondly at the paper-framed photo in your hands, you just can't help but smile back every time you see your kids' faces on it. And as you've rearranged the board once again to finally pin the photo on the middle, a wave of joy and satisfaction settles in your heart.

That board was always a good thing to look at every time you came home.


End file.
